nationals

Zimmermann: "everything is good" for Syracuse again

August 16, 2010, 11:33am

Nationals right-handed starter Jordan Zimmermann had another successful outing for Syracuse at Indianapolis as he prepares to return to the big club, which could be as early as August 25. Zimmermann threw 73 pitches (43 strikes) over five innings, scattering six hits, allowing one run, one walk and striking out three. He is 0-0 with a 0.75 ERA in three starts for Syracuse, a span of 12 innings. Zimmermann said "everything is good. All my pitches are working well. I am especially pleased...

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Burgess promoted to Harrisburg; eligible for AFL roster

August 16, 2010, 11:10am

Nationals

Burgess promoted to Harrisburg; eligible for AFL roster

The Washington Nationals have promoted outfielder Michael Burgess from Potomac to Double-A Harrisburg. The Tampa, FL native hit .262 with 12 home runs and 70 RBI in 101 games this year for Potomac. Burgess crushed 37 homers and drove in 160 in parts of three seasons for the P-Nats. He was the 49th overall selection in the 2007 draft and was voted "Best Outfield Arm" in the Carolina League by Baseball America. With the move being made before August 17, Burgess is eligible to be placed...

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Morgan DH's for Potomac, continues rehab

August 15, 2010, 1:45pm

Nationals

Morgan DH's for Potomac, continues rehab

Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan went 0-for-3 in a rehab assignment as the designated hitter today for Potomac. Morgan will go seven innings for Hagerstown tomorrow, then nine innings for Harrisburg Tuesday before flying to Atlanta to rejoin the team Wednesday. Morgan has been recovering from a hip injury and is eligible to come off the disabled list August 19, which would be the last game of the series in Atlanta.

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Morgan rehab today in Potomac; Roark wins

August 15, 2010, 5:40am

Nationals

Morgan rehab today in Potomac; Roark wins

Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan will play for the Potomac Nationals today in a rehab start. Morgan is on the disabled list with inflammation in his right hip. In 103 games with the Nationals in 2010, Morgan has hit .261 with 20 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Will Flemming with the P-Nats reports Morgan is expected to play five innings in center field. Harrisburg Senators starter Tanner Roark, acquired from the Texas Rangers last month as part of the trade for Cristian Guzman, earned his first...

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Strasburg ready for the Snakes

August 14, 2010, 5:41pm

Nationals

Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg prepares for his 11th big league start today at Nats Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks after a rough outing on Tuesday that saw the right-hander allow a career-high six runs in a career-low 4 1/3 innings versus the Marlins. Pitching coach Steve McCatty says Strasburg (5-3, 3.07) has made some adjustments this week as he gets ready to tangle with the Snakes. "He got a little frustrated with himself and started concentrating and thinking about...

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Stammen adjusting to new role

August 14, 2010, 5:53pm

Nationals

It is what relievers are supposed to do. But Craig Stammen has only been a reliever for one week. The Nationals right-hander arrived in the fifth inning Saturday night after Jason Marquis struggled in getting guys out. The bases were loaded and there were no outs. The Diamondbacks third hitter, Justin Upton, was at the plate and the Snakes led 4-2. Stammen managed to induce a double play off the bat of Upton and struck out the dangerous Adam LaRoche. Facing only two batters, he got...

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Detwiler will return to Florida next week

August 14, 2010, 7:11pm

Nationals

Detwiler will return to Florida next week

Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler will go back to Florida on Wednesday or Thursday to continue to rehab his sore right hip. Detwiler says the hip "feels pretty good, a little better every day." He will continue to work with the physical therapist next week in D.C. before heading back to Florida. Detwiler says he will throw simulated games at the Viera facility for about one week. He is eligible to come off the disabled list August 21. Detwiler last pitched August 5 in Phoenix,...

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Mock with 7 K in rehab start for Potomac

August 14, 2010, 7:46pm

Nationals

Mock with 7 K in rehab start for Potomac

Nationals right-handed pitcher Garrett Mock was solid in a rehab start Saturday night in Potomac against Myrtle Beach, going four innings, scattering four hits, allowing one run with no walks and season-high seven strikeouts. Mock was throwing every pitch for strikes and even tried his sinker for the first time this season. Mock says he got "very good late movement on it. I was encouraged." He says he was getting strikeouts with his fastball and curve. "I was walking off the field and...

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Maya did "wonderful" in pro debut

August 14, 2010, 2:14pm

Nationals

Nationals pitcher Yuneski Maya threw three innings and 30 pitches in a game Friday and did "wonderful considering he hasn't pitched competitively in quite some time," according to Williams. Maya allowed no hits, no runs, no walks and struck out one. "He commanded the ball well and his breaking stuff was good. Maya has good mound presence and the pitches he threw went where he wanted them to go. He did the little things well, fielded his position and showed some mound savvy," said...

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Desmond loves being #2

August 14, 2010, 11:26am

Nationals

A few weeks ago in Cincinnati I asked Ian Desmond if he preferred hitting in the 2 slot and he said he absolutely loved it. He always felt like he was more a part of the action in the 2 hole, and saw better pitches. At that time, he had had only 34 at bats in the 2 slot, but the numbers were much better for him at the plate from the top of the order than anywhere else. Now with 78 plate appearances in the #2 slot, the numbers are still very good and usually better than if he batted further...

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Getting to 50 at a quicker pace

August 13, 2010, 5:58pm

Nationals

The Nationals needed this one. After five difficult losses, John Lannan and Sean Burnett rode some early offense to a 4-2 victory over Arizona. With the Braves and Phillies waiting on the road, this was exactly what the Nats needed to separate themselves from years past. Friday's win was the 50th of the season for the Nats and now the team is just nine wins away from last year's total of 59. With 47 games remaining, if the Nats can go 25-21, just a little bit above .500 the rest of the...

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Lannan looking to continue recent good feeling

August 12, 2010, 7:13pm

Nationals

Lannan looking to continue recent good feeling

Nationals left-hander John Lannan will make his 17th start Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has a 2-1 record with an 0.47 ERA in three career games versus the Snakes. He is also coming off a quality start at Los Angeles, where he went six innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits, two walks, two strikeouts and a homer. It was his first win since May 28 and his first quality start since June 2. Lannan got out of his biggest jam in the fourth inning. Ryan Theriot...

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Harris battling "mental grind" as Nats' skid continues

August 12, 2010, 9:28pm

Nationals

Harris battling "mental grind" as Nats' skid continues

The Marlins completed the three game sweep with a 5-0 win on Thursday, outscoring the Nats 22-7. The outfielders did their best to get on base against a very difficult Ricky Nolasco (13-8). Roger Bernadina led off the game with a double. Left fielder Willie Harris earned a walk against Nolasco and got a base hit in the seventh off of Jose Veras. Michael Morse had a tough 0-4. Harris said this shutout loss was similar to what happened to them throughout the series against the...

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Sanchez continues hot hitting in Hagerstown

August 11, 2010, 6:10pm

Nationals

Sanchez continues hot hitting in Hagerstown

Another future star in the Nationals organization is tearing it up in his first week at Hagerstown. It is shortstop Adrian Sanchez. The Maracaibo, Venezuela product turns 20 years old on Monday, and is hitting a ridiculous .448 with 13 hits in seven games for the Suns, with one homer and 7 RBI. He has had multi-hit outings in six of the last seven games he has played. The switch-hitting Sanchez was a non-drafted free agent signed at the beginning of 2007 and had hit .272 in 124 games the...

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Harper is "begging to play"

August 11, 2010, 7:54pm

Nationals

With less than a week remaining until the August 16 deadline, Tim Chambers, Bryce Harper's college coach, remains confident that Harper will sign with the Washington Nationals before midnight Monday and said it would be "silly" if both sides don't figure it out in time. "In my opinion, Bryce is the greatest amateur player ever to play baseball, and I am talking Mickey Mantle and others," Chambers said. "He won the Golden Spikes Award. He achieved all of his goals. What else can he...

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Olsen done with Arizona, ready for Fish

August 10, 2010, 6:13pm

Nationals

Nationals left-hander Scott Olsen does not want to talk about the loss to Arizona last week in which he allowed a three-run homer to Mark Reynolds. Olsen says that is in the past and it is time to focus on Florida. After he called the outing "terrible (and) awful", you can understand why he wants to just move on. He has had seven days to prepare for another matchup against his former team and needs the win to get the Nats back in the series. Game Two has Olsen (3-3, 4.12) facing off...

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Uggla and Ramirez find way to solve Strasburg

August 10, 2010, 7:47pm

Nationals

Uggla and Ramirez find way to solve Strasburg

Okay, so he is human. The Marlins scored six runs on Stephen Strasburg in Tuesday's 8-2 win at Nats Park, doubling the most earned runs Strasburg had allowed in nine previous major league starts. Second baseman Dan Uggla got on Strasburg early with a two-run blast in the first inning and then a two-run double in the third. Uggla said Strasburg wasn't in the same groove as the first time he faced him on July 16. "It is his first start back. He was out there, kind of feeling for it a...

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Maya to pitch Friday in GCL game

August 10, 2010, 5:26pm

Nationals

Nats pitcher Yunesky Maya is scheduled to pitch two to three innings Friday for the GCL Nationals, according to pitching coordinator Spin Williams. Maya, who pitched for Cuba in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics, threw 30 pitches in two innings earlier and Williams says Maya "has done everything pretty good. His velocity is 88 to 90 MPH and he has two breaking balls and a straight change." If everything goes well on Friday, Maya will have one more game before getting a shot in...

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Wang will pitch sideline session Friday

August 10, 2010, 1:24pm

Nationals

Nationals pitcher Chien Ming-Wang is making slow progress in his rehabilitation from major shoulder surgery, but there are encouraging signs. Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams told me Wang will throw a sideline session in Viera, FL on Friday. "It was major shoulder surgery, similar to the Drew Brees injury, and we are still a long way away. But I am encouraged with the progression I am seeing from him compared to the last time I worked with him. I used to see tension on his face...

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Strasburg back for big series against the Fish

August 09, 2010, 6:16pm

Nationals

Strasburg back for big series against the Fish

It's a big game tonight for the Nationals and their young star Stephen Strasburg as he is scheduled to make his first start since July 27 when he was scratched prior to a game against the Atlanta Braves. If he is able to return from the shoulder inflammation, it will be Strasburg's first game since July 21 at Cincinnati. Strasburg has a 5-2 record with a 2.32 ERA, the best among NL rookie starters. Anibal Sanchez gets the nod for the Fish, who arrive six games in front of the Nats in the...